Give Me a Sign
When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL. Once there, she also finds a community. There are cute British lifeguards who break hearts but not rules, a YouTuber who’s just a bit desperate for clout, the campers Lilah’s responsible for (and overwhelmed by)—and then there’s Isaac, the dreamy Deaf counselor who volunteers to help Lilah with her signing.
Romance was never on the agenda, and Lilah’s not positive Isaac likes her that way. But all signs seem to point to love. Unless she’s reading them wrong? One thing’s for sure: Lilah wanted change, and things here are certainly different than what she’s used to.
“You can keep finding yourself again and again. The important part of all of that is just being true to what your heart tells you.”
First Impressions: Love at First Sight
I randomly stumbled upon this book one day while wandering the aisles of Target, and as soon as I saw the cover, I immediately knew that I had to read it. I am a senior in High School, and I have been learning American Sign Language since my freshman year. With 4 years of learning, I have fallen in love with the language. I was so excited to see Give Me a Sign, a book surrounded by deaf culture, and I could not wait to read it.
I thought this was such a fun, delightful book, and it gave me so much more insight into Deaf culture. As a hearing person learning sign language, I can never truly understand the experiences of a deaf person, but this book allowed me to see deeper into their culture and understand them on a stronger level.
“What bothers me is trying to fit into the hearing world. That I’m constantly the odd one out, the one who always has to explain or adjust.”
The Characters: Hands and Hearts
I thought that Lilah was such a great main character. She is kind and compassionate, and we could really see her passion for wanting to learn sign language and immerse herself in this part of her culture. It was interesting to see as she balanced between her two worlds: the deaf world and the hearing world. Because she was part of both, she often felt invisible in both, not quite fitting in either one. Watching as she had to navigate these struggles, but eventually grow in confidence, was so wonderful to see, and it was very empowering to read as well. Readers became really sympathetic with her, and we wanted to watch her succeed. By the end of the book, we felt so happy for her, and it was amazing to see her story wrap up so nicely.
Along with Lilah, I also enjoyed the other characters we were introduced to in Give Me a Sign. One of my favorite characters of the book was Oliver, though he was not one of our “main characters.” I thought that he was absolutely hilarious, and I was engaged in his and Lilah’s relationship at the start. At the beginning of the book, when it was Team Oliver vs. Team Issac, I was actually Team Oliver, since I was obsessed with their banter as soon as they met. However, once Oliver came out to Lilah and explained that he was in a relationship with Ben, this just made me love his character even more. I was so happy that we still got to see more of Oliver and Lilah’s dynamic, and their connection honestly felt stronger when it was simply platonic. Olivier was a great addition because he brought more diversity into the story and even kept it more interesting and engaging.
I was happy to see such a wide range of characters, as it allowed readers to encounter a diverse spectrum of deaf people. Not every deaf person has the same experience, and this book perfectly encapsulated that. By meeting so many different people who have a variety of hearing abilities, the book further immersed readers into deaf culture and allowed us to get a deeper look into what their day-to-day lives might look like.
“It’s here that we can find our community— a place where we can be ourselves, unapologetically.”
The Relationship: A Language of Their Own
Even though I was initially team Oliver, Issac did start to grow on me throughout the course of the story. It was difficult to see their connection at first, especially since there was such an intense language barrier between the two of them. But I think navigating this language barrier actually made their relationship stronger. It was super cute watching as they grew closer, especially Issac watching and teaching Lilah to learn more signs. Lilah had so much passion for the language, and Issac had so much passion to help Lilah that their stories fit together so perfectly, making them an adorable couple that I rooted for until the end.
“Being deaf isn’t something that needs to be fixed.”
Real World Impact: The Power of Representation
On a deeper level, I think this book is amazing in representation. It delves deeper into the atrocities that deaf people face daily and how these challenges are often overlooked in general society. It felt really informative on deaf culture, and also felt very empowering to read. It advocated for accessibility and empathy for everyone, and this book can have an immense real-world impact on the deaf community.
“There’s so much energy, emotion, and personality that goes into ASL.”
Final Thoughts: A Heartfelt Story
Overall, I thought this was a really great read, and it was super cute and fun. I had a really great time reading this, and I hope you guys enjoyed!!